Friday, June 1, 2012

This is a favorite recipe of mine this time of year... the time of year when fresh blueberries and plentiful and most importantly, on sale at most grocery stores. With a streusel topping and a swirl of fresh blueberry jam, they're bursting with bright Summer flavor. They're excellent fresh from the oven (obviously) but I always double the recipe because they keep fairly well for a couple days on the counter.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until thick, pale yellow, and fairly homogenous. Whisk in butter and oil slowly, until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a spatula, and then stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix batter! It will be a bit lumpy, but don't worry.

Make the jam: In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup fresh blueberries and a
teaspoon sugar. Cook over medium heat, mashing berries, and stirring
frequently until mixture cooks down and thickens. Allow to cool.

Mix the streusel: Stir together 3 Tbsp each white and brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2/3 cup flour. Drizzle with 4 Tbsp melted butter and toss with a fork until mixture forms large chunks.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and adjust the rack to the center. Portion batter into a prepared (greased) muffin tin, completely filling the cups. It makes a dozen, but you may get a couple extra if you use muffin liners. Spoon a teaspoon of the jam in the center of each muffin and gently swirl it in with a chopstick or a toothpick. Crumble some of the streusel over each muffin and press it down slightly so it sticks.

Bake until muffins are golden on top and just firm, 17-19 minutes (I usually turn them halfway through baking). Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then cool on a rack. Soooo tasty on their own, but you could add some butter or honey. Excellent with a cup of tea, if I do say so myself.